Invoking Sanctuary

Sanctuary has long been one of my favorite spells, especially when abused to unleash one-sided torment on your foes. There is nothing I like more than a tactically intriguing spell, and sanctuary is just one such spell that can be used to formulate effective and interesting styles. However, such things really go against the spirit of sanctuary (both the spell and the concept) in a way that just isn’t quite right for Sanctuary Week. So, while these spells might lack some of the tactical utility of sanctuary, all are aimed at keeping your characters safe from harm, and may just reward creative players with a major, if situational, battlefield advantage.

With a touch, you call ghostly spirts to protect the drawn circle of salt and iron from the influence of sprits. Within this circle, you are protected from spiritual entities and energies. Aberrations, fey, outsiders, and undead cannot cross the boundary of the circle or make attacks into the circle unless they succeed on a Will save. As long as you concentrate on the spell, these creatures receive no Will save to cross the barrier. Additionally, the ghost fence weakens the effects of psychic spells cast into the circle. Such spells suffer a –4 penalty on their caster level, and characters within the circle gain a +2 bonus on their saving throws made to resist the effects of psychic spells cast from outside of the circle. Finally, possession of any kind is impossible within the circle.

You project an aura of protective magic that interferes with summoned creatures and prevents them from harming you. Any creature summoned with a spell or spell-like ability of the summoning or calling subschool cannot attack you. Summoned creatures conjured with spell or spell-like abilities of the summoning subschool receive no saving throw against this effect, while creature summoned by spells or spell-like abilities of the calling subschool must succeed on a Will save to attack you. Creatures you summoned with a spell or spell-like ability of the calling subschool gain a +4 bonus on this saving throw. A creature that succeeds on its saving throw ignores the effects of this spell for 1 minute. Any effect directed at a summoned or called creature that would end a sanctuary spell allows that creature to ignore the effects of this spell for 1 hour.

You entreat the wild spirits of the world to watch over you, granting you the supreme protection of the local spirits that inhabit a given land. You must cast this spell out of doors. When you cast this spell, you entreat the local spirits of the area to watch over you. These spirits are tied to the type of terrain you are in when you cast the spell, and watch over you for so long as you remain within that type of terrain. While under the spirits’ protection, animals and magical beasts native to that terrain type with an Intelligence of less than 3 will not attack you or make other hostile actions against you. The local spirits also warn you of potential danger, granting you a sixth sense that warns you of the presence of hostile creatures or natural hazards (such as quicksand, difficult terrain, lightning strikes, etc.) 3 rounds before you encounter such danger (provided you maintain your current course and speed). The spirits are not infallible, nor can they see the future with perfect clarity, and thus they cannot account for eventualities such as sudden teleportation, or successfully negotiating with a hostile creature in such a way that the encounter would be profitable, rather than dangerous. In addition to warning you of dangers, this sixth sense provides you with a +2 insight bonus to AC and a +6 competence bonus on saving throws made to resist natural dangers and hazards in that area. If you leave the terrain, you lose these benefits until you renter the terrain again.